McLean, Va. … After considering a slate of leading-edge innovations in additive manufacturing from top global users and system suppliers, the jury for the inaugural International Additive Manufacturing Award (IAMA) has selected Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies Ltd., of the United Kingdom and Plano, Texas, as its winning submission. The award will be presented on March 6, 2015, at 6 pm, during a reception at The MFG Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Hybrid Manufacturing’s submission is a hybrid kit innovation that can be integrated into any CNC machine to allow for metal deposition (via laser cladding), finishing and inspection of parts on a single machine. The hybrid methodology integrates directed energy deposition into multi-axis CNC machine, using a tool changer to change between processes.

“Hybrid technology is exciting because it offers a new way to adopt additive manufacturing – as an upgrade to a CNC machine tool. Adding tool-changeable deposition heads to an existing CNC machine enables 3D printing of metal, without the need to buy a separate machine,” said Dr. Jason Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies. “This significantly reduces costs and provides an intuitive adoption path for CNC operators. The combination of additive with machining offers new capabilities, including in-process finishing, that cannot be delivered by either technology independently.”

“As a team, we are very excited to win the inaugural IAMA,” Jones said. “We are grateful for the exposure it brings to hybrid processing generally, and specifically to the seven years of foundational innovations that we have led in this area. We express our thanks to all those who contributed to the award.”

The IAMA is the result of a partnership between AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology and VDW-Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabriken (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association). AMT and VDW, with media support from Gardner Business Media and VDI Nachrichten and sponsored by the European Machine Tool Association CECIMO, announced the annual IAMA at IMTS-The International Manufacturing Technology Show 2014.

“It was incredibly exciting to see so many dynamic innovations presented from around the world for this award. It speaks highly to the evolution of additive technologies and the realization of radical productivity improvement for manufacturing,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. “The winning submission from Hybrid Manufacturing is a perfect nod to where we foresee the industry’s future: an integration of ‘subtractive’ CNC machining with the evolving capabilities of additive. It’s a perfect combination of existing technologies made better through new and leading-edge innovation.”

“Additive manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize large portions of the production process. What began with the production of prototypes has become an autonomous technology that opens up entirely new options for producing complex parts, and it is increasingly combined with traditional processes,” said Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, VDW Executive Director. “The IAMA celebrates the pioneers and high-achievers in the additive field and helps foster a creative dialogue and build a solid international network.”

The IAMA jury included international leaders from industry, academia, military, media and trade associations. It considered innovations from the United States and European Union from varied leaders in the additive field including: Advantech US Inc.; ARBURG; Czech Technical University in Prague; EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems; Fraunhofer IFAM Bremen; Impossible Objects LLC; Local Motors; MAPAL; MC Machinery Systems Inc.; SAUER GmbH LASERTEC; Swiss Automation; Sodick Inc.; Tri-D Dynamics; and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.

Along with the award, Hybrid Manufacturing Ltd. will also receive a $20,000 USD cash prize and a media package valued at $80,000 USD to promote their winning hybrid kit innovation.

In February 2016, the second award trophy will be presented at METAV, the International Exhibition for Metalworking Technologies, in Dusseldorf, Germany.

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology represents and promotes US.-based manufacturing technology and its members — those who design, build, sell, and service the continuously evolving technology that lies at the heart of manufacturing. Founded in 1902 and based in Virginia, the association specializes in providing targeted business assistance, extensive global support, and business intelligence systems and analysis. AMT is the voice that communicates the importance of policies and programs that encourage research and innovation, and the development of educational initiatives to create tomorrow’s Smartforce. AMT owns and manages IMTS — The International Manufacturing Technology Show, which is the premier manufacturing technology event in North America. www.AMTonline.org , www.IMTS.com

Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies, based in the UK and USA, is dedicated to combining complementary technologies including CNC milling, additive manufacturing (popularly known as 3D printing) and in-process part inspection integrated into virtually any CNC machine (new or used). Its award-winning and patent pending technology fully automates changeover between processes in seconds, enabling agile advanced manufacturing for repair of high value parts and hybrid production of new components. www.hybridmanutech.com

The German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW) based in Frankfurt am Main has represented the interests of the German machine tool industry for more than 120 years. Together with the trade association for machine tools and manufacturing systems affiliated with the VDMA, it has a voluntary membership of approx. 300 firms which account for about 90 percent of total turnover in the industry.

The VDW represents the interests of its members both within Germany and throughout the world. Additionally, the VDW organizes exhibitions for the international machine tool industry. The VDW has logged up more than 90 years of experience in organizing trade events. It stages EMO Hannover with the quality seal “A Fair by VDW” on behalf of the European Committee for Co-operation of the Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO). The VDW also stages its own international exhibition for manufacturing technologies, the METAV in Düsseldorf. www.VDW.de

Gardner Business Media was established in 1928 and produces magazines including Modern Machine Shop, Production Machining, MoldMaking Technology, Plastics Technology, CompositesWorld, and their associated digital products, research and live events. www.gardnerweb.com

VDI Nachrichten is Germany’s leading weekly technical newspaper for technical decision-makers in industry, academia and government. With a paid-circulation of more 160,000 subscribers, the newspaper is Europe’s leading technical publication. It is the official publication of the Assn of German Engineers (VDI). The newspaper’s website at www.vdi-nachrichten.com is a subscription-only platform. However, the publication does produce a free-platform at www.ingenieur.de for those interested in technology and a job-portal www.ingenieurkarriere.de for job-seekers in engineering and technology.

CECIMO is the European Association of the Machine Tool Industries. It brings together 15 national associations of machine tool builders, which represent approximately 1500 industrial enterprises in Europe*, over 80% of which are SMEs. CECIMO covers 98% of total Machine Tool production in Europe and about 39% worldwide. It accounts for almost 150,000 employees and a turnover of nearly €23 billion in 2014. Approximately 80% of CECIMO production is shipped abroad, whereas more than half of it is exported outside Europe*. For more information visit www.cecimo.eu. *Europe = EU + EFTA + Turkey